角儿

角兒

juér

noun #31,851

Measure Word

一位角儿 wèi

Meanings

1 lead actor (especially in Chinese opera)
2 star performer
3 (theater jargon) the headliner of a show

Characters

role / part (in a play)

diminutive / erhua suffix

Examples

梅兰芳是京剧界的大角儿。

Méi Lánfāng shì jīngjù jiè de dà juér.

Mei Lanfang was a great star of the Peking Opera world.

她从小就想当角儿。

Tā cóng xiǎo jiù xiǎng dāng juér.

She has wanted to be a leading actress since childhood.

Tips

register

Beijing-flavored erhua form of 角 (jué, 'role / character'). 角 here is read jué (NOT jiǎo, which means 'horn / corner'). Strongly associated with traditional theater — 大角儿 'big star', 名角儿 'famous lead'. The 2017 film 《老炮儿》 and Chen Kaige's 《霸王别姬》 (Farewell My Concubine, 'Bàwáng Bié Jī') are full of this usage.

Stroke Order

角 jiǎo

儿 ér